• ALL OCSD schools will go fully remote until Tuesday, January 19^th. 
• We will follow our remote instruction schedule during this time and return to hybrid instruction on January 19^th.  
• Please note that all New Visions students will continue to attend their program.
• All BOCES CTE (Career and Technical Education) students will continue to attend their programs as usual during this time.
• All Full Day BOCES students will continue to attend their programs as normal.
• Meal distribution will continue to take place at our designated meal distribution points on Wednesdays.

• Concerns associated with our community’s rising COVID-19 cases, recent cases that have affected our schools, uncertainty of what the holiday impact may have on COVID cases, need to establish a bit of educational stability and consistency during this time. 
• We have learned of a fifth confirmed positive COVID-19 staff member and one confirmed positive student. Two staff members work out of Riverside Elementary, one out of Greater Plains Elementary, and one who is shared between two schools. The student is enrolled in the high school. The impact of this information has resulted in substantial quarantining.
• As always, we immediately began working with the Department of Health to contact trace.
• As of today, we currently have 81 students in quarantine total. Please note that these are not all related to today’s update. 
• We have 27 staff members in quarantine who are also not all related to these new positives. 
• We are seeing testing sites booking two days out and results slow to come back.
• It appears as though the contact tracers as well as the Otsego County Department of Health are doing the very best they can but are facing tremendous challenges with the rising cases.
• The Department of Health has expressed concern relative to our district as we are seeing a rise in those who are symptomatic. The DoH has referred to Oneonta as the “epicenter” of this outbreak. 
• Our community is witnessing its highest COVID-19 positive numbers outside of what we experienced with the college spike.

• For travelers who were in another state for more than 24 hours:
  • Travelers must obtain a test within three days of departure from that state.
  • The traveler must, upon arrival in New York, quarantine for three days.
  • On day 4 of their quarantine, the traveler must obtain seek another COVID test. If both tests come back negative, the traveler may exit quarantine early upon receipt of the second negative diagnostic test.
    
    
• For travelers who were in another state for less than 24 hours:
  • The traveler does not need a test prior to their departure from the other state, and does not need to quarantine upon arrival in New York State.
  • However, the traveler must fill out the traveler information form (can be located at: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory) upon entry into New York State, and take a COVID diagnostic test 4 days after their arrival in New York.

• Today, Wednesday, November 18th, 2020, the OCSD was made aware that we have a positive COVID-19 staff member at the Oneonta Middle School. We have also learned that several of our staff members are close contacts to two additional positive COVID cases resulting in substantial quarantining.
• We immediately began working with the Department of Health to contact trace.
• Those impacted by these cases will be quarantined through the Thanksgiving break.  
• These new cases have some substantial impact on several of our buildings. 
• Consequently, All OCSD schools will go fully remote beginning tomorrow November 19^th through at least Monday, November 30^th.  All OCSD students should prepare to follow their schedule remotely during the above listed dates.
• Please note that all New Visions students will continue to attend their program.
• All BOCES CTE (Career and Technical Education) students will attend their programs as usual during this time.
• All Full Day BOCES students will attend their programs as normal.
• BOCES students will be receiving an auto notification around 6 pm this evening regarding transportation to and from BOCES.
• Meal distribution will continue to take place at our designated meal distribution points on Wednesdays.
• Staff members as well as families of students who meet the criteria for close contact, as determined by the DoH, will receive phone calls from the Department of Health or by someone from the District.

• Tonight, Sunday, November 15th, 2020, the OCSD was made aware that we have a positive COVID-19 student enrolled at Greater Plains Elementary.
• We immediately began working with the Department of Health to contact trace.
• The result is that both students and a host of Greater Plains staff will need to quarantine until at least November 20^th. 
• As we have been struggling to fill COVID-related precautionary absences among our staff, this situation places us in a position where we cannot fill these additional vacancies. 
• Consequently, Greater Plains Elementary School will go fully remote beginning tomorrow November 16^th through at least Friday, November 20^th.  All Greater Plains Elementary students should prepare to follow their schedule remotely during the above listed dates.
• Riverside and Valleyview Elementary buildings will open as normal.
• The Oneonta Middle School and the Oneonta High School will open as normal.
• Staff members as well as families of students who meet the criteria for close contact, as determined by the DoH, will receive phone calls from the Department of Health or by someone from the District.

• If a rapid test is conducted:
  1. Positive results-no confirmatory test required (Unless required by the Department of Health)
  2. Negative result- confirmatory test required
• Students/Faculty/ Staff cannot return to school based on a negative rapid test alone, they must also provide proof of a negative confirmatory test as well.

• May not return until:
  • Cleared by a physician to return to school with documentation indicating alternate diagnosis and that Covid-19 is not suspected
  • Tested and found Covid-19 free (negative test – No Longer can be just a rapid test)
    • Been feeling well and fever free without medication for at least 24 hours
    • And documentation of a negative test is provided to the school
  • Diagnosed with Covid-19 (positive test): 
    • 10 days isolation from onset of symptoms.
    • Feeling well and fever free without medication for at least 72 hours.
    • And, released by the DOH. Student/staff will receive release documentation to provide to the school.
  • If you are unable to be evaluated by a physician or obtain test results within 48 hours of onset of symptoms student/staff will be presumed positive (DOH will be notified) and unable to return to school until:
    • negative test result received, feeling well, and fever free for 24 hours without use of medication
    • positive test result received and released from isolation by DOH

• Yesterday, we were made aware of the high probability of a positive case with one of our high school faculty members.
• We worked with our Department of Health partners and took measures to protect our school community by going fully remote in the middle and high school for today and Friday.
• I am happy to report that this suspected case is, in fact, negative.
• However, we have just learned that one of our high school faculty members, in what appears to be an unconnected case, has tested positive for COVID-19.
• We have already engaged in a collaborative fashion with the Department of Health and the teacher to identify who might be deemed to have been in close contact with this faculty member.
• Parents/guardians of students in this teacher’s class in the Blue Cohort, have been notified through an autonotification of this occurrence if determined that their child is considered in close contact to the affected teacher, they would be receiving a call from the Otsego County Department of Health and/or someone from the school district. This autonotification is not intended to alarm but to simply inform parents or guardians of students specific to the affected teacher and have this initial contact to our families come from our school district as opposed to a call from the DoH.  ***Please note that as I compose this update, I have heard from the Department of Health that NO student or any faculty/staff member is deemed a “close contact” to the affected teacher*** This is good news but we will continue to monitor this and all health and safety matters.
• The Oneonta Middle School and Oneonta High School will remain fully remote for Friday, October 23^rd.   All 6-12 students should prepare to follow their schedule remotely on these two days.
• All elementary buildings will open as normal.
• All Day BOCES students will attend their BOCES classes. 
• Oneonta students will NOT attend CTE courses at BOCES on Friday.
• New Visions students WILL attend program on Friday. Students can meet in front of the high school at 8:15 am. and the bus will transport from there. 
• Meals will be served in the elementary buildings as usual.

• Today, Wednesday, October 21^st, 2020, we were made aware that although no official results as of yet, there is a high probability of a positive case with one of our high school faculty members.
• As we await test confirmation, we will continue to work with the Department of Health to contact trace should that need arise.
• Out of an abundance of caution and as we await test confirmation and work with the Otsego County Department of Health, the Oneonta Middle School and Oneonta High School will go fully remote for the remainder of this week (Thursday 10/22 & Friday 10/23). All 6-12 students should prepare to follow their schedule remotely on these two days.
• All elementary buildings will open as normal.
• All Day BOCES students will attend their BOCES classes. 
• Oneonta students will NOT attend CTE courses at BOCES on Thursday or Friday.
• NO New Visions on Thursday or Friday 
• Once contact tracing is completed and if the result of this particular COVID-19 test is positive, Faculty and staff members as well as families of students who meet the criteria for close contact, as determined by the DoH, will receive phone calls from the District and will be contacted by the DoH.
• For those OMS and OHS students in need of meals for Thursday and Friday, there will be a meal distribution tent in front of the Oneonta Middle School on Thursday from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm.  
• Meals will be served in the elementary buildings as usual.

• Faithfully complete the morning health screening daily. 
• Provide two acceptable facemasks with your child’s name on them daily. 
• Share with your child(ren) that mask wearing is not optional in this reopening plan.
• Provide friendly reminders of the importance of respecting the physical distancing guidelines in place.
• Sharing the importance of good respiratory and hand washing hygiene.
• Adhering to the established drop off times contained in the Framework.
• For those with students who will be receiving busing; please find the Bus Routes here on our Transportation webpage.

• An email with your student(s) cohort was sent September 22^nd.
• The deadline to make an instructional decision has been extended to Wednesday, September 30th.

1. Please start on our For Parents web page, and navigate to “Instruction as of 10/13/20”. There you will find details of each of the instructional models.
2. If you did not receive your child’s color cohort assignment, please call 607-433-8200 and reach out to your child’s school to obtain that information. 
3. Please provide your child’s school with the correct contact information for all guardians to ensure that you receive any future communications.
4. Submit your instructional decision for each child by clicking the appropriate link on the Hybrid Instruction” web page https://www.oneontacsd.org/HybridInstructionInformation.aspx

August 3, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians:

I am writing to share that our District’s Pandemic Reopening Plan has been posted to our District website.  Please be aware that this is a document that was required to be submitted to the New York State Education Department and New York State Department of Health but remains a work in progress and is subject to change as we await an official announcement from the governor. Many factors could alter the scope of this framework including Executive Orders from the governor, directives and recommendations from the New York State Department of Health, or the Otsego County Department of Health.

Even though I knew better, I truly looked forward to our high school graduation thinking that the uncertainty and craziness that was the 2019-2020 school year would be behind us. However, we know that there remains tremendous uncertainty ahead of us. Working through the “What Ifs” toward a reopening plan has been incredibly difficult. There are simply NO good options. We all want our students back in our brick and mortar buildings. Unfortunately, when school district leaders are being asked to make these decisions based on, among other criteria, how many hospital beds are available in our communities, the decision to reopen a school district takes on a different meaning. Having thousands of college students move into our community during a time where we are simply in no better position than we were last March relative to this illness is quite concerning. Creating a phasing in approach allows us to monitor what impact the influx of these young adults may have on the collective health of our community seems most appropriate. As such, we will remain in the remote learning environment to start the 2020-2021 school year. We will reevaluate this model as we approach the Interim Progress Report period of October 9^th. 

Opening schools in anything other than a fully in-person schedule creates many hardships. This framework details a remote learning opening to the 2020-2021 school year that we recognize will be difficult for many. However, as mentioned in the framework, it is our main intention to safeguard the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff members, and by extension the collective health of our community. This has been and continues to be a difficult time for all of us. During the initial school closure, many of our district parents and guardians were able to work from home, while others left their jobs in order to educate children at home.  Educators were quickly placed into an environment where they needed to learn new learning management systems and teach from home while also assisting their own children who were learning in this manner as well. It has also been tremendously difficult for our students who have not had the face-to-face time with their teachers or the social interaction with their peers that we know are so important. 

The health and safety of students and staff are our top priority. While this plan is in compliance with the requirements set by the New York State Education Department which serve as baseline stipulations, there are occasions wherein we feel that adherence to a more stringent approach as recommended by the New York State Department of Health and the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), safeguards our school community stakeholders better. Please know that the guidelines and protocols that have been established are not flexible. As a school district, we have kept safety first and foremost and we will continue to do so. 

The Reopening Framework posted on our District’s website, contains information about our phased in approach to the opening of school for the 2020-2021 school year as well as many safety procedures, protocols, and expectations. It also contains information about the three formats under which we may be attending school at some point throughout this school year. Please note that there is also a “Quick Guide” that I hope will answer many questions that you might have. My hope is that by this school year’s end, we find ourselves fully opened with the medications and vaccines in place to protect us all. 

Thank you for your cooperation and continued understanding during this time. I am appreciative to all of our faculty, staff, community partners, and our parents and guardians who have provided input that informed this framework. I recognize that for many, reopening remotely is not desirable and I respect that position. 

We have begun providing professional development and meetings designed to culminate with the information that our students/families, and faculty and staff will need in order to create a standards-based and meaningful educational experience. There will be other correspondence from this school district or your child’s respective school(s) with specific information. 

For now, I continue to wish all of our OCSD families good health. As always, please do not hesitate to call or email me with any questions (office: 607-433-8200 X-1301 or [email protected]).